Can opener



p 20, 1955 M. R. NAERT 2,718,053

CAN OPENER Filed Dec. 3, 1954 5 INVENTOR.

J M4 (JR/Cf k. MAERT.

Unite States Patent Ofiice 2,713,053 .Patented Sept. 20, 1955 CAN OPENER Maurice R. Naert, Pontiac, Mich. Application December 3, 1954, Serial No. 472,827 Claims. (Cl. 30-61) The improvement pertains to a device adapted to perforate the top of a can in order that the contents thereof may be dispensed.

The object of the improvement is to provide a device adapted to hold a can in place while elements designed to perforate the top of said can are first caused to pierce said top and then while said elements are being withdrawn from the openings made by said elements.

A further object of the improvement is toprovide a device in a form which will be adapted to be mounted for use upon a vertical supporting member, such as the wall of a kitchen or the wall of a cupboard.

Finally, the object of the improvement is to provide a device which will be simple in structural design but which will be fully practical and efficient for the uses for which it is to be adapted.

I will now describe my said opener with respect to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a top elevational view of the can opener;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the canopener as it is mounted upon a vertical supporting member, such as a wall;

Fig. 3 is an end view of said opener;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of the upper portion of the can, the view including the lower part of a spike serving to perforate the top Wall of said can.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The can opener includes a mounting bracket which is generally indicated by numeral 10. The bracket includes a vertical plate 11 and an integrally-connected horizontal shelf 12. The vertical plate is provided with a plurality of holes 13 for application of screws 13a by means of which the bracket may be secured to an upright wall 14 at a height most convenient for the operation of said opener.

The shelf is partly cut out to provide therein a semicircular recess 15, the recess extending from what may be called the front edge of the shelf to a line spaced from the vertical plate 11. As the diameter of the recess is shorter than the length of the shelf, and as the radius of the recess is shorter than the width of the shelf, the latter includes a solid area all about said recess.

Disposed on the front portion of the shelf, and straddling said recess, are two flat members which I shall call spacers 16 and 16a, respectively. These are rectangular plates to be used for a purpose which I shall presently describe. It will be noted that each of the spacers is placed in a radial relation to the semicircular recess, but in a spaced relation to the edge 17 thereof.

Mounted upon one of said spacers 16 is a substantially V-shaped spring 18, the spring including two straight legs in a diverging relation to each other but joined by an integrally-formed semi-circular loop. One leg of the spring is clamped between said spacer 16 and a retaining or backing plate 19, and is secured in place by any suitable means, such as by rivets or spot welding. It will be noted to the edge 17 of the recess 15.

that the end 20 of said spring extends inwardly into the recess 15 beyond the edge of spacer 16 so that a slot is formed between the edge 17 of recess 15 and the end 20 of the spring.

The opposite leg of the spring is connected to one end of an oblong lever 22 by being clamped between said lever and another backing plate 23, in which position it is secured by suitable means, such as spot welding or rivets. The backing plates are employed for the purpose of limiting the flexing of the spring to the semi-circular loop joining the two legs of the spring. The lever terminates at its outer end with a handle which, in its preferred form, is provided with a rubber sleeve 24.

Projecting downwardly from the lever are two spikes 25, which are substantially rectangular in cross section. Each spike is provided at its lower portion with a flat surface disposed at an angle to the length of the spike, as shown at 27, the formation resulting in a sharp, pointed tip 28 and in sharp edges of said face.

The spikes are spaced from each other, but both are in such a position that they are adapted to be lowered, tips down, into the area of the recess 15. Furthermore, they arein a diametrical relation to each other, and they are so secured to the lever that it is the tips 28 which are closest This feature, as it will be explained herein, is important.

Mounted upon the spacer 16a is an L-shaped guiding member which includes a vertical standard 31 and a horizontal base 30 which is secured to said spacer in a parallel relation thereto. It is to be noted that the end 32 of the base also extends inwardly in the direction of the recess and beyond the edge of spacer 16, as a result whereof a slot is formed between the edge 17 of recess 15 and the end 32 of the base 30. The upper portion of the standard is provided with a vertical slot 33 which is wide enough forreception of the lever 22, the latter being adapted to be moved therein in a vertical plane.

The manner in which the can opener may be used is as follows:

To start with, I wish to point out that the normal position of the lever 22 is as shown inFig. 2, in which position of said lever the tips of the spikes, which project therefrom downwardly, will be above the level of the spacers 16 and 16a. While the lever is in said position, a can 40 may be placed within said recess 15 in such a manner that the upper rim 41 of said can will fit over the edge 17 of the recess but under the end 20 of the spring and under the end 32 of the base 30 of the guiding standard described above.

With the can in this position, the lever may be pressed downwardly, by means of the handle 24, till the tips of the spikes will perforate the upper wall of the can and the sharp edges of the face will shear said wall. As the undersurface of each spike slants upwardly from the tip and inwardly towards the center of the can, the portions of the wall partly sheared off by the edges of the face will be deflected away from the rim portion of the can. This will leave an opening which on the side of said rim is free of any obstacles or deflections which, if formed there, would interfere with the outflow of the contents of the can.

The manner in which the partly sheared-off portions of the top wall of the can are deflected is shown in Fig. 5. When the perforations have been made, and while the upper rim of the can is still wedged under the end 20 of the spring and the end 32 of the base 30, the lever may be raised manually so that the spikes will be withdrawn from the perforations made by them. Upon withdrawal of the spikes, the can may be removed from the opener.

It will be understood that some minor changes may be made in the structure of the can opener, but that such changes would still fall within the frame of the improvement described herein.

What I, therefore, wish to claim is as follows:

1. A can opener of the kind described, the opener including a mounting bracket having a horizontal shelf, the shelf being provided with a semi-circular recess for engagement with the cylindrical Wall of a can, slot means at each side of the recess permitting the wedging in of the upper rim of the can, a lever mounted on the shelf to one side of the recess and extending diametrically over the recess, spring means to keep the lever normally above the shelf, and two sharp-edged spikes projecting from the lever downwardly towards the recess, the lever being adapted to be actuated manually against the tension of the spring to cause the spikes to penetrate the top wall of the can.

2. A can opener of the kind described, the opener including a mounting bracket having a horizontal shelf, the shelf being provided with a semi-circular recess for engagement with the cylindrical wall of a can, means at each side of the recess permitting the wedging in of the upper rim of the can, a lever mounted on the shelf to one side of the recess and extending diametrically over the recess, spring means to keep the lever normally above the shelf, two sharp-edged spikes projecting from the lever downwardly towards the recess, the lever being adapted to be actuated manually against the tension of the spring to cause the spikes to penetrate the top wall of the can, and a guiding standard mounted on the shelf on the side of the recess opposite to that which supports the lever, the guiding standard being provided with a vertical slot for the guidance of the lever in its operative movement.

3. A can opener of the kind described, the opener including a mounting bracket having a horizontal shelf, the shelf being provided with a semi-circular recess for engagement with the cylindrical wall of a can, means at each side of the recess in a diametrical relation to each other permitting the wedging therein of the upper rim of the can, a lever mounted on the shelf to one side of the recess and extending diametrically over the recess, spring means to keep the lever normally above the shelf, two sharpedged spikes projecting from the lever downwardly towards the recess, the lever being provided with a handle at its outer end and being adapted to be pressed down against the tension of the spring to cause the spikes to pierce the top wall of the can to form perforations therein.

4. A can opener of the type described, the opener comprising a wall bracket including a horizontally-disposed shelf, the shelf being provided at the front portion thereof with a semi-circular recess for reception of a can in its vertical position, two flat spacers located upon the upper surface of the shelf in a diametrically-opposed relation with respect to said recess, each of the spacers being set back from the recess to leave space for the upper rim of the can, a leaf spring including two straight legs joined by a loop, one leg of the spring being secured to one spacer in parallel relation thereto, one end of the leg extending over the recess beyond the edge thereof, a lever secured to the other leg and extending therefrom over said recess and over the other spacer, two sharp pointed spikes projecting from the lever downwardly towards the recess, the spikes being in a spaced relation to each other, and a guiding member for the lever, the guiding member including a vertical standard provided with a vertical slot for the reception of the lever, and a base mounted upon the other spacer and having one end projecting over the recess beyond the edge thereof, the space between said base and said last-named spacer on one side of the recess and a similar space between the other spacer and the spring on the other side of the recess serving for a wedge-like engagement with the upper rim of the can.

5. A can opener including a mounting bracket having a horizontal shelf, the shelf being provided with a semi-circular recess opening from the front portion of the shelf inwardly, a fiat spacer upon the shelf to one side of the recess but set back from the edge thereof, a diametricallyopposed spacer on the other side of the recess but similarly set back from the edge thereof, a U-shaped spring having two straight legs in a normally-divergent position and joined by a semi-circular loop, one of the legs being mounted upon the first-named spacer in a parallel relation thereto but having its free end projecting over the recess, a lever secured to the other leg and extending over the recess and over the other spacer, two sharp-tipped spikes projecting from the lever towards the recess, the lower ends of the spikes being normally disposed above the level of the shelf, and a lever guiding member composed of a vertical standard and a horizontally-disposed base mounted upon the second-named spacer, one end of the base extending over the recess beyond its edge, the standard being provided with a vertical slot for reception of the lever to guide a downward movement of the lever to cause the spikes to pierce the top wall of the can.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 511,959 Lepley Jan. 2, 1894 2,162,095 Maples June 13, 1939 2,200,029 Kulling May 7, 1940 2,637,898 Pontillo May 12, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 518,104 Great Britain Feb. 16, 1940 

